Butler was speeding in a Range Rover at 2 AM on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. He drove off the road, hit three parking meters and a concrete wall. The vehicle then flipped over twice. Butler and his wife, an r&b singer who had signed with Epic Records, were killed. There is an old expression, "Speed kills." It does indeed.

In October 2017, the Glee actor pleaded guilty to possession of more than 25,000 images and 60 videos of child pornography. Next month, he was going to be sentenced to between four and seven years in prison. There is no need for the sentencing now -- he hanged himself.

He played and recorded with George Benson, George Duke, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, Freddie Hubbard, Lalo Schifrin, Frank Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, the Crusaders, the Temptations and many others. He played drums on Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. He played on several movie soundtracks. He released several albums. He co-wrote the Dazz Band's Let It Whip. He taught jazz studies at USC. Whew!

Martin Crane, John Mahoney's character on Frasier, loved Ballantine Beer. He would often speak to his can of beer: "Well, hello there. Will you be my Ballantine?" Mahoney also appeared in six episodes of Hot In Cleveland.